the jester's pub

The Problem isn't the Constitution

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams

Maybe this is why things in government just don't work anymore.

Sad. Pray we wake up and return to our God.

Required Viewing

On the fourth of July as we celebrate our freedom which has cost so many so much. You should make some time today or in the next few days to pick up the movie Taking Chance.

It is the simple story of the delivery of a fallen soldier's body from the Iraq war being returned to his family and the escort who makes that journey.

It is a true story based on Col. Michael Strobl played by Kevin Bacon escorting the body of fallen Marine Chance Phelps from Delaware to Wyoming. The movie is beautiful, heart wrenching, enlightening and somber. It is filled with honor and dignity. It reminds us that real people are dying, sons and daughters, and friends of real people. You will find yourself with tears in your eyes at many places in this movie.

It takes us beyond the pictures we see of fallen soldiers and confronts us with the process of what happens from start to finish when a soldier dies. Watching it as a father was difficult but necessary for there are many fathers who have laid their sons and daughters on the altar of freedom.

Happy fourth everyone, never forget what was paid to get us here.

mark

Picking Justice

     

Got the book Picking Cotton in the mail yesterday and couldn't put it down, in fact I finished the book (over 300 pages) in one day. What a fantastic book and story of redemption, justice and forgiveness. It is the story of two people tragically thrown together because of a crime and mistaken identity.

Here is a snapshot of the book.

College student, Jennifer Thompson, was raped in 1984 at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. Wearing only a blanket, she escaped and told police she was certain she could identify the man who had been inches from her face. She eventually picked Ronald Cotton out of a lineup. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken—but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After serving eleven years in prison for a crime he never committed, Ronald was released when a DNA test proved his innocence.

Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face--and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives. In this true and inspiring story, Jennifer and Ronald offer an unprecedented first-person glimpse into what happens when the system fails both the victim and the accused. Paced like the most riveting of thrillers and packed with page-turning twists and turns, this unforgettable book challenges our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness. 

The book is a beautiful picture of justice finally being done, and a man Ronald Cotton who spends eleven years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, finds the faith to forgive the women who sent him to prison and go beyond forgiveness to forge a friendship with her that will last a lifetime.

If your looking for a great summer read, or just want to be reminded how beautiful forgiveness is, you must read this book.

Here is the trailer for the book: 

Pittsburgh is Title Town USA!

Congrats to the Pens! Not since 1979 has Pittsburgh had two world champs in the same season. The last time was the Pirates and the Steelers. Take my word for it the cover of next weeks Sports Illustrated will have Ben Roethlisberger and Sidney Crosby on it.

Here is the original Sports illustrated cover from 1979 when we were originally title town.

The Laughing Jesus

Thanks Mark Driscoll for talking about this subject! So if you take yourself too seriously or need a reminder of the fact that Jesus was pretty cool to hang out with, watch this!

All Grown Up?

Tom brokaw the former NBC news anchor and author was addressing the Class of 2005 at Emory University and he said these words:

"You have been hearing all of your life that this occasion is a big step into what is called the real world. What, you may ask, what is that real world all about? What is this new life? Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2005 at Emory, real life is not college; real life is not high school. Here is a secret that no one has told you: Real life is junior high.The world that you’re about to enter is filled with junior high adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds, and the false bravado of 14-year-olds."

Amen Brother!

Are you Serious?

This is beyond ridiculous. I am not bashing gays in fact I think that there is a lot we can do as Christians to be more loving to those who are gay. This is not a comment about their value and this is certainly not a condemnation of a person, but this is absurd! Now we have guys as Prom queens?

Here is the story,

Sergio Garcia stood in the gymnasium and told the senior class at Fairfax High School not to worry: If he was elected, he wouldn't wear a dress.

"I will be wearing a suit," Garcia said, "but don't be fooled, deep down inside, I am a queen!"

He said it started out as a bit of a stunt and challenge -- he wasn't sure the school would allow it. But his campaign for queen ended up being serious and sparking dialogue about gender roles on campus.

A few days before the dance and election, the contenders gave short speeches on why they deserved the crown.

"At one time, prom may have been a big popularity contest where the best-looking guy or girl were crowned king and queen. Things have changed and it's no longer just about who has the most friends or who wears the coolest clothes," Garcia told the crowd of seniors. "Sure, I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye."

The audience erupted in applause after his speech, and a group of his female friends spent the rest of the week wearing pink crowns and campaigning for him.

On Saturday night at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, wearing a charcoal-gray tuxedo and a black bow tie, he was named prom queen.

"I felt invincible," Garcia said.

He's among the first male students in Southern California to take the title usually owned by female high school beauties.

"It just shows how open-minded our class is," said Vanessa Lo, 18, the school's senior class president.

Lo said that she, like many students, had initially been against the idea of Garcia running for prom queen. But she said he "spoke with complete confidence" and carried himself in a way that made students believe he was serious, not a class clown or joker just trying to get attention.

"His speech was great," recalled Unique Payne, 17, a senior who said she voted for Garcia. "I did it because I support the gay community," she said.

Some teachers and students were encouraging, others told him not to "stir things up," he said. But his close friends continued to support him, and after his speech, the campus community seemed to be coming around to the idea.

"I think that indicates where our society is right now. That the young people, they are not involved in this whole argument about gay rights. They think this whole fight is silly. They just accept people for who they are," Uribe said. "Gender-bending is just kind of in," she said.

I do feel bad for the Prom King! 

So what do you all think?

Hanging with Clive

My class for Fuller Seminary this Spring is on Mentoring. I had to select a historical figure that is a mentor to me. I chose C.S. Lewis. I have written about Lewis before on this blog and he has had a profound effect on my life through his writings. One aspect I haven't written about is Lewis' friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien and the group known as the Inklings. 

I am fascinated by this group of friends that met for over 30 years together each week either in Lewis' room or at a pub known as the Eagle and the Child. Their commitment to each other is admirable. Most people don't know that J.R.R Tolkien was instrumental in bringing Lewis to Christ. Below is a quote from Tolkien about Lewis:

“Friendship with Lewis compensates for much, and besides giving constant pleasure and comfort has done me much good from the contact with a man at once honest, brave, intellectual-a scholar, a poet, and a philosopher—and a lover, at least after a long pilgrimage, of Our Lord.” 

This is a quote from Lewis about his friends the Inklings from his perspective:

“Sometimes he wonders what he is doing there among his betters. He is lucky beyond desert to be in such company. Especially when the whole group is together, each bringing out all that is best, wisest, or funniest in all the others.” 

I am sure these guys meet together every day in Heaven, and I am sure Jesus stops by now and then.

How does it feel to be rich?

I complain too much. I have too much. Max Lucado once wrote, "We cry over spilt champagne." How true. You might not think your rich, but you are. This website will open your eyes. Go to Global Rich List to see how rich you are.

Here is what I am:

You are the 47,380,745 richest person in the world!

You're in the TOP 0.78%
richest people in the world!

How rich are you? >> I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 47,380,745 richest person on earth!

Maybe we need a Pandemic?

In his book,The Monkey and Fish, Dave Gibbons quotes a story about how Christianity grew in its early days. It is an interesting theory.

Historian Rodney Starks in his book, The Rise of Christianity, concluded that the surge in the growth of Christianity was rooted in the response of early Christians to a wave of great pandemics. At least two plagues wracked the developing world in the first three centuries after the death of Christ, and the Christians did something no one else would do. They stayed. They helped. And many gave their lives in doing so. In Starks book, Dionysius, the bishop of Alexandria, described in a letter how believers responded to a deadly plague that killed an estimated five thousand people a day in the Roman Empire sometime around 260 AD: 

"Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead...The best of brothers lost their lives in this way."

Maybe it is time as the church to ask ourselves, "What are we doing that no one else will do?". Maybe it is time for me to ask myself that.

Sometimes I Like Cheese!

What can I say....

300

No not the movie, which honestly I didn't think was all that great. I know that might hurt my "manhood" a little with some of you guys but it just didn't do it for me.

300 is the number that I have been reading about as the ideal size for a church. Big enough to enjoy some of the benefits of a large church like energy and the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself but small enough to retain intimacy and a family feel. This size is especially appealing to young adults and emerging generations. This is a move away from the mega-churches and mega sanctuaries.

So when a church hits somewhere around 300 they just plant another church instead of growing bigger in one place.

Personally, I like this model. I think it is where the church is going in the future. What do you think?

It also begs the question of what is the ideal size for a youth ministry. I have led two high school groups of over 100 students and one that was over 200 and I feel like the ideal size for a bigger group is around 100-150. After that you lose something. I am not sure BIG youth groups work. I have seen really large churches high school groups where they had like 400-500 students coming but the church had 20,000 people in it. I think you reach a number with a large group that becomes ineffective.

Now I know the "big numbers" people out there will say "Why wouldn't you want to have 500 students?" To them I say I am not saying we shouldn't reach 500 it is just don't expect to do it in the "one-youth group" model. Those days are gone. I am not sure discipleship really can work in a youth group that big and usually you can't find enough adult leaders to support it.

Maybe after you get to 150 or so you should plant another youth group? Just some thoughts.

Chime in!

**Sorry for the long delay between posts, just been real busy!

Seasons

Saturday was a big moment in my life. I was in Green Bay to do the Ys One Day which is my last YS One Day (formerly the CORE) forever. I have had the privilege of traveling around the country for the last 6 years speaking to thousands of youth workers just like me who are on the front lines with students. My travels have taken me to all but 8 states and to cities like Fargo,North Dakota, Lebanon, New Hampshire and a host of other small cities but also to places like Boston, D.C. and Atlanta. I have been to over 60+ cities in six years and have had crowds as small as 12 people to as big as over 400. It has been an incredible ride. 

It has been an amazing season of my life. When I started I had been married less than a year and had no children. How life has changed. The first thing I ever did as a member of the YS presenting team was go to Saddleback Church to be a part of a test run of the CORE that year. It was held shortly after Mike Yaconelli died. I was the only new member of the team that year and the only person in the room who didn't know Mike personally. Everyone else was grieving in such a deep personal way, it was somewhat of an awkward beginning to my time with YS. I do remember that Dan Jessup took me to Ruth Chris steakhouse for my first YS meal when I first arrived. It would be an example of how well YS would treat me over the next six years.

It has been an incredible privilege for me to be a part of this team, one for which I am eternally grateful. I was given an opportunity that so few our given. Many times I have wondered why God allowed me to be a part of this, for I am so unworthy. I have learned so much from my time with these people. I have seen such excellence, experienced community, brutal honesty, beautiful flaws, teamwork and through it all people who passionately love Jesus. I hope I gave as much to this team as they have given to me and the same for the youth workers I met on the road.

I want to especially thank Tic and Marko for believing in me an entrusting the YS name and history of excellent youth ministry into my hands wherever I went to represent the company. You have both made a huge impact on my life and it has been awesome to learn from you and serve alongside of you. Thanks for the generosity you have shown my wife and I over these years. Also to all of the YS staff who was so awesome to me, even when I didn't get my stuff in on time. Thanks Carrie, Michelle and all the rest.

I am so grateful to my teammates and the friendships that have been formed over these last six years. You all made the journey so much fun. I had such great times with Dave, Fred, Danny, Megan, Marv and Heather.  It was so cool to become friends with people like Duffy, Chap and Les who I had read their books as a young youth pastor, unbelievable! Can't wait to see all of you at the end of May. I also want to thank Brock Morgan who has become such a close friend, confidant and ministry partner. If nothing else amazing had come out of this, it would all be worth it because we have become friends.

I am sad when seasons of life end, by nature I am a sentimental person and relational changes are very hard for me. So in the midst of being sad, I am excited for what adventure God has waiting. I will still be teaching at the YS Conventions but it won't quite be like being on this team.

Some final words to my fellow YS teammates to never forget: GAMES IS FUN!

Love you guys!

This Can't be Good...but it is so good!

Just came upon this little tidbit last week. It is kinda scary!

Today's Consumption: The average American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. At the end of the 19th century (1887-1890), the average american consumed only 5 lbs per year.

A Continual Rise: Over the last 20 years, sugar consumption in the U.S. has increased 26 punds to 135 lbs of sugar per person per year.

This is unbelievable, I gotta do something about this right after I finish this candy bar!

Anyone for Golf?

This is awesome!